LAKELAND, Fla. -- No. 1-ranked Southeastern University scored four runs in each of the first two innings as the Fire defeated the Bellevue University baseball team 14-4 in a run-rule shortened non-conference affair on Monday evening at Ted A. Broer Stadium.
The win was the eighth in a row for the Fire who improve to 22-1 on the year while Bellevue falls to 11-5 with the loss.
Southeastern hit four home runs on the night and jumped out to an early 8-0 after two innings of play as the Fire put any thoughts of a BU resume win out of mind early.
Bellevue scratched across a run in the fourth on an RBI-single from Josh Vaughan, the lone Bruin with two hits in the game, and struck for three more on a three-run home run by Tyler Knox in the seventh, cutting the lead to 11-4.
The Fire got a run back on a solo home run in the bottom of the seventh and ended the game early with a game-ending hit by pitch to induce the 10-run rule in the eighth.
Drew Gillespie (3-0) earned the win as he struck out 10 over six innings and limited the Bruins to a run on five hits in a 91-pitch outing.
Colton Walker (1-1) took the loss in his first start of the year for Bellevue after allowing four runs in the first inning.
The Bruins will have a couple days off before playing five games in three days at the Warner Classic. The action begins with games against Brewton-Park (1:30 p.m.) and Warner (4:15 p.m.) on Thursday Mar. 11.
